


The Tradition

by strawhatlucy



Category: One Piece
Genre: 1000 lawlu tag grind, M/M, One Shot, finally luffy actually appears in a story i wrote about him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 21:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17373854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawhatlucy/pseuds/strawhatlucy
Summary: Shanks and Makino had a tradition that was passed onto Luffy.





	The Tradition

Luffy remembers life in small things and his childhood is much the same.

The smell of the sea calling out to him, salt in the air and on his tongue, the cry of seagulls as they fly off to freedom.

He remembers his time spent with Shanks the most vividly, and yet it's the part of his life hardest to dig up from his memories because it shaped his entire life and bled into other aspects of it.

One thing that he can clearly recall was the strange tradition Shanks and Makino had, simply because it stuck with him somehow. Before, when Shanks was still in East Blue, whenever he would leave the port, Luffy and Makino would see him off. Shanks would always crouch in front of him and ruffle his hair, but with Makino, he would stand in front of her and lower his head a bit as Makino rises on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

Whenever he asked Shanks about it, the older pirate would just exclaim about how much of a kid he was and that that was an important pirate tradition little brats like him wouldn't understand.

He was kinda right, because Luffy didn't really get it, so he asked Makino and his guardian explained it much better than that stupid Shanks.

'Listen up, Anchor. Sometimes people we care about have no choice but to leave, and we can't do anything to stop them. In times like those, wouldn't you want them to at least think of you when they are gone? That is what that kiss was for. So that, even if we are apart, I know he will think of me.'

And yeah, Luffy gets that. He has a lot of precious people he will never forget and never wants to be forgotten by, but he learns early on from an irritated and embarrassed Ace that that kiss wasn't something meant for just anyone.

Didn't matter that Ace wasn't just anyone to Luffy either, but whatever. So he learnt that, if he couldn't do what Makino and Shanks did, at least he could make himself memorable, a person that latches itself into people's hearts and refuses to leave. And that was it, that was enough.

Until now.

Luffy watches Torao prepare to leave and feels inexplicable emptiness fill his chest. Torao was his nakama, and the man had finally got that, but now he was leaving again. At least it is different from that time when Torao left back on Sabaody, when he didn't even bother to inform Luffy of his departure.

This time Luffy knew Torao was leaving, and yet, there was nothing he could do about that.

He couldn't blame him, not really. Torao is a man that tries to rationalize everything and solve it with logic. By that same logic, their alliance is over. Stupid Mingo is rotting in Impel Down and Kaido and all of his Disasters were taken down. The goal they had set for their alliance was accomplished.

But, really, does Torao still not get that alliance equals friendship, and Luffy takes his friendships seriously?!

Even Torao's crew was in tears and unwilling to part knowing just how unpredictable the sea in the New World is and that they might not see each other for quite a long time. But Torao, no, he's just casually saying goodbye as if they didn't go through so much together and hadn't forged bonds of steel.

And Luffy...

Luffy knows that the things they went through tie them together in an unbreakable bond and that, no matter what happens, they will always be nakama, but he still can't help the niggling doubt in the back of his mind, the voice of a small, lonely child afraid of people leaving him.

He wants Torao to remember him, to think of him even when they are apart, to know that Torao won't ever forget about him. And he thinks he finally gets what Makino and Shanks had been telling him back then, and what Ace meant by waiting for a 'special person' (even though he thought Ace was just making stuff up to get out of a proper explanation). He thinks that, just maybe, Law might be his 'special person'.

He doesn't ponder on that much. Straw Hat Luffy is not known for standing in place and thinking over something, so he just does what he always does and acts.

He strides up to Torao purposefully, who stops in place, resigned to the younger pirate's whining. Instead, Luffy only gives him an unreadable look and stands there staring at him as if expecting him to do something, and that is exactly what Luffy is doing, but Torao is either unaware of that secret pirate tradition or ignores it on purpose. Both seem likely, honestly. Deciding that, if Torao was going to be difficult about this, he might as well just do it himself and take what he wants, like a real pirate.

He leans on his tiptoes, curses his short height, at least in comparison to the giants around him, and grabs the back of Torao's neck, bringing their faces closer before smashing their mouths together.

Torao just stands there and Luffy huffs, because, apparently, even though he has barely any idea what he is doing, Torao doesn't plan on helping out. That stubborn, uncooperative bastard.

The kiss is over before he knows it and he lets his ally go, though Torao just proceeds to stand with his neck bent and staring into empty air, as if something unimaginable just occured. It would be pretty funny if it weren't making him worried.

His train of thought gets cut off there as suddenly Nami and Usopp shreak and all hell breaks loose on the deck. Both crews look at him as if he suddenly declared his desire to become a Marine Admiral and that vegetables beat meat. Which is just ridiculous. Then again, their crews _are_ ridiculous, so Luffy just ignores their antics with practiced ease. Honestly, the things he puts up with.

He returns his stare to his fellow captain and is taken aback by the intensity he sees in his eyes. It's the look Torao always has when he is scheming, when he is trying to break down someone's motives and purpose. Luffy can remember a scant few times when that look was directed at him, mostly back when they were still virtually strangers or when he does something especially stupid. He didn't do anything stupid though, right? Oh, but maybe Torao really doesn't know about The Tradition. What a hopeless guy, seems like Luffy will have to explain it to him...

'Really, Torao, that face says you have no idea what is going on at all.'

Torao just stares at him dryly as if to say 'How do you figure?', but Luffy ignores him and continues on. 'Shanks told me long ago that this was how you were supposed to send a pirate off'.

He sees Torao slump in resignation and his face fall a bit, but he doesn't give it a second thought, because he still wasn't done.

'Someone else told me though that this was a way to make sure someone wouldn't ever forget you. Torao, we may not really have a common enemy anymore, but we will always be nakama. I want you to remember that, and remember me. Because I will never forget Torao.'

He leans up again and this time Torao actually meets him halfway through. There, now he knows Torao will be thinking of him even after he leaves. He doesn't think of that for much longer though, because Torao deepens the kiss, and 'Oh, I didn't know you could do that.'

It seems like Makino's tactic worked even better than he was told it would, because all of a sudden Torao didn't look like he wanted to leave at all.

No, those dark eyes spoke of completely different plans, and Luffy felt sparks of anticipation run down his spine, despite not knowing what his fellow captain had in mind at all. He had a feeling he would like it though.

And, when Torao bent down to nip at his neck, he concluded that 'yes, he would like it a lot'.

**Author's Note:**

> This story came to me last night and is based on something I read on Tumblr.
> 
> It went: 'Couple aesthetic: the short one tries to kiss the tall one, but they can't reach up; so they gently stand on their toes, take the tall one's neck. And DRAG THE MOTHERFUCKER DOWN. IF I CAN'T GO UP, YOU'RE GOING DOWN WITH ME.'
> 
> See why it stuck with me? This is just so perfect for them.


End file.
